Halloween Intervals

Was meant to be going to a kids Halloween party instead of track.  It wasn't so bad as I got out tuesday.  But then it all falls into place and I make the track.

Mike gives me an idea of the times I need to be running.  I go off to fast and blow up.  I don't feel great.  Just tired really.  I drag myself round the rest of the session with the splits all over the place.

Not a particularly smashed session, but at least I finished it and made it here.  Better days to come soon I hope,

Intervals 1 mile tempo, 1200m,1100m,1000m,900m,800m,600m,500m,400m with 90 seconds walk recovery

Tired legs at the club

My wife has a friend round so I get to go to the running club tonight.  I can feel yesterday's run in the legs.  I briefly think about group 6 but decide to go with group 5.

The pace at the start seems fast.  My legs hurt.  I then realize that the pace is fast.  Some of the runners at the back are struggling.  Unfortunately the leaders at the front aren't too concerned with those at the back.  I decide to slow down and run in the middle so those at the back don't get lost.

Around half way we stop.  One of the runners who has moved up a group tries to let it be known that she is struggling with the pace.  This is dismissed in a patronizing way by the front group.  After going out about 30 seconds a mile faster than was stated we then run up a big, big hill.   People at the club wonder why people find it hard to move groups and improve their running.

On form I would find group 5 and the pace easy.  However I am still looking for my running mojo at the moment.  Sometimes their is a lag effect on training where you don't see the results for a few weeks.

6.2 miles53:15

After the storm

There was a big storm overnight.  Trains are chaos in the morning.  I bus to work but resolve to run home.  I get all kitted up and as I leave the building it is hammering down with rain.  I abandon.  I get the DLR to Lewisham.  The trains are chaos.  I decide to get the bus instead.

A short while after waiting at the crowded bus stop I notice the rain has stopped.  I decide to run back from there.  I push it at a tempo effort. It's not raining all I get is wet feet through the "air flow" holes in the bottom of the shoes

 The last couple of miles I push hard and it hurts.  I get back and the time is 45 minutes.  At London Marathon Peak fitness I could run this in 39:35.  Perhaps I went a quicker route I don't know.  I want to get back to that fitness though.

5 miles 45:11

Saturday Night Hills

It's Saturday night but before dinner a time for some hills.  I do the standard 5 minute warmup and then proceed to the hill almost opposite my house.  I decide to run 1 minute up and jog down, 10 times.  I'm not sure how this compares to my usual hill session.  I think maybe they are longer but I do fewer sessions.

As I go to start I can see that the pavement is blocked by the dudes replacing the lampposts.  I have to do it on the other side of the road.   Other than the tricky, slippery acorn patch it's fine.  I am listening to a fascinating podcast. The shorter distance and up the hill allows me to run with better form.  Towards the end I start to enjoy. 

I'm not sure how hard a workout this was, but it was better than staying at home and not running.

35mins 10 x 1 minute hill with jog-down recovery, 5 minute warm-up and cool down.

Easy 5 km around Bromley

I umm and ah about running. I had hills in mind but I am tired from yesterday's efforts, a boring day at work and a bad nights sleep.

I think about not running and then decide to do an easy 5 km.  I head down to Shortlands park and then towards Bromley. I was going to do an out and back but decide to loop up the High Street. This is Billy but I am feeling better now.

The last half mile or so is a bit of a push but I am glad to have got out.

5 km 29:01

Intervals on a beautiful Autumn Evening

A beautiful autumn's evening at the track.  Rob and Jenny are back.  Lee from last week is here again.   It's 3 lots of 1 mile today.  We do the tempo together.  Then on the 1st mile they streak ahead.  Lee is off with them and isn't stuck behind me this week.  I run pretty even 1:45 laps plus or minus a second.

I take a 90 second rest and we are off again.  Rob and Jenny streak off again and I do not see them again.  I am working hard but still manage to rack up the consistent laps.

The final of the 3 sets, Rob and Jenny are blown and I am ahead of them.  I once again run consistently 1:45 laps.  On the 3rd lap I throw in a random 1:49 but the other laps are consistent 1:44-146.  I am having to work harder to achieve these.  At the finish Rob puts in a push and cruises past me on the line.

A good session.  I had to work hard and I could feel the cycle to work and back in the legs.  But I could feel the work making me stronger.  Proud of my consistency.

1mile tempo warm-up, 3 x 1 mile, 90 seconds recovery

To Blackfriars

I fancied the run from Work to Blackfriars.  I love the view there.  As I run I remember that it will be dark when I get there.  The sunset on the way there is beautiful, but I'm in no mood to stop and take a photo as I am running strong.

I have all my coats currently at work, and as I come to leave I realise I have forgotten my trainers.  If I don't pull something out the bag there will be no running today as my wife is out tonight.  I decide to get my trainers from the locker at work.  It's track tomorrow so I can return everything, coats, shoes and trainers to their rightful place.

I do a little bit of crowd surfing through the city.  I love this; it is some of my favourite running.  In the end only a little bit slower than when I did this run before Bournemouth when I was rested and flying.

4miles 33:56

Getting faster

Back from Grove Park tonight.  I've been feeling hungry all day and have a late sushi snack to try and find some energy to run.

I run well, and strong yet I know I'm not as fast as I was in the run up to the London Marathon.  Back then I could run this route in 24:00 minutes.   Today a couple of minutes slower but I feel on the comeback trail.

Glad to get the run in and I am getting back to some regular miles.

5km 25:58

Tired run to Hayes and Back

I go late evening after my late dinner has settled.  I start off fine but then start to struggle.  I run up Hayes High Street and make it about as far as Blackheath and Bromley Harriers before turning back.  I feel like quitting but I can't.

Towards the end I pick up again.  I think I can put some of the lacklustre performance was down to a little bit of sickness I have had.

10km 1:01:

Easy 5km on a Saturday night getting back into it

After a busy family day with the kids and lots of washing up (the dishwasher is broken)  I decide to go out and get in a quick 5km.  I've done lots of runs (not much mileage) but I'm building back the consistency.

I've also gone LCHF.  I've been reading lots about this and am convinced it is the healthy way to be.  I told my wife that I was determined to give it a go and she seemed resigned to the fact.  This was particularly hard when we had fish and chips for tea.  I stuck to the fish liberated from the batter.   However I am starting to feel better for it.  The next couple of weeks should be even more interesting.

I start off slowly and settle in about at the theatre.  On the way out the youngster had not really started gathering for a nights drinking yet.  I swing round the signpost in Beckenham and head back.  Now there are more people arriving.  I start to feel it on the ascent back towards home but my form feels good and I keep going.  Soon I am back.  It's remarkably mild for October.

5km 27:20

Out of gas hills

I biked to work and back and am hungry.  I decide to try and revive my friday night hill session.  The plan is to do 5 minutes warm up, 20 minutes hills and then 5 minutes warm down.

In the end the hunger gets the better of me.  I bail out after 14 minutes of the hills.  I do the 5 minute warm down and then home to relax and eat.

4km Hills 24:00

Back to Track

With apologies to Amy Winehouse and "Rehab" from Back to Track:

#They tried to make me go to the pub but I said 'No, no,no',
Yes, I'm going to track, else when I come back I'll be slow, slow, slow
I need to get a time, at park run that is fine,
They tried to make me go to the pub but I won't go, go, go

I'd rather not booze today
I ain't got many days
Cause there's nothing
There's nothing you can teach me
That I can't learn from Mr. Reeves

I didn't get a lot in class
But I know track will make me fast

The number of people at the track is less than the last time I was here.  And everyone looks fast.  There is one new runner, Lee.  We do the session together.  It is done diligently, evenly and hard.  I'm nowhere as fast as I used to be but hopefully I am on the way back.

1mile tempo, 1x600, 1x1000,1x2000,1x1000,1x6000 with 90 seconds recovery

Autumn Evening run to Beckenham Cinema

I tried to get away from work to make parents evening but the trains are a mess. So after the kids are in bed I am in a bad mood. I am hungry not having had dinner but decide on a run.

I love the autumn and running in autumn even more so.  I put on my flouro jacket and head out. The early run does not have much of an effect. I enjoy the running but still feel a long way short of fitness.  Hopefully now I am on the way back. It seems funny to having just run a marathon but not be in good shape.

I swing round the sign post outside the cinema and head back. Soon I am on the downhill stretch and back  It was good to get another run in. I hope I am on the way back.

5 km 29:05

Around the estate

I'm bored at work so decide another easy run to get me back into the running habit at lunch time.  I decide to go and explore Wood Wharf on the Canary Wharf estate.  This Pontoon like structure is a home to food stalls and occasional exhibitions.  But not in the Autumn it would seem.  

I run across the bridge do a loop and then go and zip around the office blocks until I had run around 20 mins.  Nothing too fast but out there and running.

2 mile 19:10 

Back on it

After a week and a bit off after the marathon I decide to get back on it.  It's never good going back after a bad result like Bournemouth.  I decide nothing to long.  So I get the train to Clock House and run back from there.

And wham, I feel fantastic, light and nimble.  It is more my lungs that hold me back then any physical tiredness.  Good to be back.

2 miles 19:56

Bournemouth Marathon 2013

I didn't really train for this, but I think I have enough guile and residual fitness to get round.  I did 20 miles to Polhill and back and wasn't destroyed and at 9:30 pace.  It's a couple of hour drive down to Bournemouth.  I park up and prepare.  I get someone to take a photo I look fat.  I get someone else to take a photo and I still look fat.  Still I'm not after anything spectacular today.

We start off and I am remarkably disciplined.  I hold a steady pace.  The first mile takes ages to come.  The second and third are equally hard.  By 7 miles I am really struggling.

Then the sun starts to beat down and gradually I am frazzled.  Even before halfway I start a run walk, 9 minutes running 1 minute walking.   This then soon becomes 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking.  This helps.  Around mile 18 I consider DNF'ing but I want the medal.

I start to get really thirsty and at some points I am so sun effected I have to walk for long bursts though this is hard.  Towards the end I manage to do some running but I am absolutely destroyed.  Even though I am thirsty and hot, I can't drink anymore water.

Finally I spy the finish and manage somehow to sprint at full tilt.

I'm glad I hadn't trained too hard for this as even if I was in tip-top shape then I would have still blown-up.  I can't run Marathons in the Direct Bright Sun.  But who knows what Marathon day is going to be like?  I think I will train hard for Brighton and then maybe knock the marathons on the head.  To much work for too uncertain an outcome.

26.2 Miles 4:38:58

Blasting through the city

I always run better with motivation. In a race I am always faster.  That isn't true for everyone.  I know some runners who run at the same pace in training as a race.  Today I decide to run to Blackfriars via Cable Street.  I look forward to the view at the new Blackfriars Station.

I set of at a decent pace.  Then as I come into the city I start to fly.  I zip in and out of the crowds, absolutely on fire.  Every move, every swerve, hop and skip beautifully executed.  I love running threw crowds.  It is like extreme running.

The city is more interesting than Canary Wharf.  Soon I am at the Station and the view is glorious.  Really glorious.

4 miles 33:25